PORTLAND’S sailors Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell are ‘having an absolute ball’ at their first Olympics .

The duo, both from Weston, are second overall in the Men’s 470 dinghy fleet, just one point away from the gold medal spot, currently occupied by Australia’s Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page.

Helm Patience, 26, said: “It’s been a great series so far, it’s our first Olympics, there’s a lot of hype around it.

“But man we’re having such a good time, it’s just so much fun, me and Stu were whooping going up wind, catching the waves and the gusts hitting.

“We’re having an absolute ball.” He added: “Me and Stu are excitable characters, you’ve got to remember it’s just a game, we’re not at war in Afghanistan or anything serious, it’s just a sport and it’s good fun.

“We’re so grateful for the opportunity to come and race and be supported by our friends, family and the nation, what’s so bad about that?

“We take it seriously, it means a lot to us, we do what we need to do and we’re professional, we work hard and stick to our routines.”

The island pair, originally from Scotland and Rochdale respectively, scored first and sixth place in yesterday’s two races, and have just two more fleet races today before Thursday’s medal race for the top 10 boats on the Nothe course.

Bithell described the medal course, close to the land, as a ‘wacky old race track’ and said they saw how tricky it could be on Sunday when Team GB’s Star sailors slipped from gold medal position to silver.

Patience said he was sure the Australian World Champions would begin ‘messing with us for sure’ in today’s races – so crucial before the final medal showdown.

He added: “If the situation arises, bring it on.”